In this blog you will see a journey being taken by students and teacher to build up our minds, muscles and imaginations together through inquiry, exploration, investigation, problem solving and teamwork!

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Saturday, April 23, 2016

The Beauty Salon Project

In the middle of our Space Inquiry, a group of girls started making plans to open a hair salon. I had no idea this was going on until I came upon a friend creating his sign.

I asked them if they were interested in using the Dramatic Play area for their salon and they became very excited, so we started a little side project...The Earth Hair Salon. Some boys overheard our conversation and asked if they could help. They all went to the Dramatic Play area and started talking and planning. They asked me if they could move the furniture and started rearranging! They had to use planning, colaborating and problem solving skills to make this happen. They felt it was too crowded and decided they needed to remove some furniture so we put it in her closet to get it out of the way.

They also felt that they needed posters showing hairstyles so they grabbed some paint and went to work!

Here is their finished Salon.

They made a hair washing station.

They found plastic tools and decided to pretend they were scissors. A friend brought in a mannequin head from home to add to the salon to practice making hairstyles. They used bottles from our Chihuly Sculpture for shampoo and conditioner.

We hung up mirror paper to create an area to get our hair done.

They came up with an appointment book and dug out our cash register for a reception area to make appointments and pay.

They used our small table for a manicure station. They liked the idea of water colors because there were lots of color choices. I liked them because they washed off easily.

They wanted hair magazines for customers to choose hairstyles from while they waited in he waiting area. They came up with some very creative styles!

Both boys and girls were equally excited to both work in the salon and be customers of the salon. We (mostly me) were treated to many beautiful hair styles by many talented hair dressers!

We received beautiful manicures by some very talented manicurists! This was the most popular part of the salon!

They had to practice many 21st Century Learning Skills to create and run this salon! They had to take turns and be patient as they waited their turn to either be a worker or a customer! They had to learn how to handle disappointment when they didn't get their turn that day. Some who took leadership positions in the salon had to learn that no one wants to work for you if you boss them rather than collaborate with them so they worked on leading rather than bossing. These social skills are so important for kids to function in their future education and workplaces! They learn how to handle problems, frustrations with others, and frustration with situations. They hone their communication skills, and learn that sometimes they don't get their way! They learn to compromise and work together toward a common goal! Without play, these skills do not get learned. Without play, they do not learn how to regulate their emotions and feelings in social situations. It is for these reasons that play has such an important role in my program! Play is just as important as the academic portions of our day if not more because to function successfully in society, these skills must be learned along with the academics. Role play is a perfect opportunity for kids to practice 21st Century Skills. Unfortunately, their chances to practice these skills have declined in so many Early Childhood settings...but not in our classroom! In our classroom we will continue to learn through play!

I am a Kindergarten Teacher for West Carrollton City Schools (West Carrollton, Ohio, U.S.). I have taught kindergarten for 24 years. In this blog, you will see both teacher and students on a journey to build up our minds, muscles, and imaginations through inquiry, investigation, exploration, problem solving and teamwork. We learn together through a project/inquiry and play based learning environment. I have been on a journey from a traditional, thematic based teaching style to a more student-led, project/inquiry and play based teaching style. The more I learn from all of you wonderful teachers around the world, the more fun I am having inquiring, exploring and learning along side my students. I hope that this blog will be an inspiration for those of you thinking about doing the same.